Miscellaneous

By Mike Slocombe

UK Is The Fourth Most Digitally-Aware Nation In EuropeThe UK’s mass adoption of digital TV and broadband has helped make the country the fourth most digitally-savvy nation in Europe, according a new report by Jupiter Research. Calculated using 40 different variables including Net use, digital TV adoption, wireless, mobile and digital device usage, the European Digital Life Index revealed that consumers adopt different digital products and services in different countries. Not surprisingly, the digi-savvy Scandinavian countries Sweden, Denmark and Norway came out top in the report.

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UK Is Fourth Most Digitally-Aware Nation In EuropeRead More »

(CNN) — On street corners, in train stations and in restaurants, the telltale signs of BlackBerry addiction are everywhere: pursed lips, a distracted look, thumbs working furiously. People don’t just use BlackBerry; once they’ve discovered it, they can’t live without it. Though it can be used as a phone, the BlackBerry’s power lies in its ability to push e-mail automatically from the company server to the end user. That simple concept has revolutionized corporate life. Two million BlackBerry subscribers have already signed up and their numbers are growing rapidly.

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How the Blackberry conquered the worldRead More »

By Yuri Kageyama, The Associated Press

TOKYO – Your eyes probably hurt just thinking about it: Tens of thousands of Japanese cell-phone owners are poring over full-length novels on their tiny screens. In this technology-enamored nation, the mobile phone has become so widespread as an entertainment and communication device that reading e-mail, news headlines and weather forecasts – rather advanced mobile features by global standards – is routine.

Now, Japan’s cell phone users are reading books. Several mobile Web sites offer hundreds of novels – classics, best sellers and some works written especially for the medium. It takes some getting used to. Only a few lines pop up at a time because the phone screen is about half the size of a business card. But improvements in the quality of liquid-crystal displays and features such as automatic page-flipping, or scrolling, make the endeavor far more enjoyable than you’d imagine.

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Japan cell phones users reading booksRead More »

By Jim Carlton

Ah, the essentials of summer vacation: swimsuits, beach towels, sunglasses — and enough gadgets to fill an electronics superstore. These days, vacationers are stuffing their luggage with high-tech gear that makes it easier to entertain the kids, stay in touch with the office and find sights to see on the road. Technology is even creating handy new substitutes for some traditional travel items, like postcards and maps.

Travel companies are scrambling to accommodate all the gadgetry. Several international air carriers are beginning to offer Wi-Fi wireless networking on their flights, and hotels targeting leisure travelers are adding the service. The historic La Fonda hotel in Santa Fe, N.M., reports that Internet usage by its guests has doubled since it added Wi-Fi two years ago.

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Vacationers taking more gizmos with themRead More »

By Brent Hopkins

For $110, the blind can see. For $6,800, the mute can speak.

At the California State University, Northridge, Technology and Persons With Disabilities Conference, wheelchairs rolled through crowded exhibit halls while red-tipped white canes tapped their sightless holders through a sea of people. The six-day exposition, which runs through Saturday, has drawn medical professionals, manufacturers, educators and those simply hoping to improve their quality of life.

“This is a lifesaver,” said Fran Mero, a Lancaster resident who works in a blind persons assistance program, peering through a powerful monocular. “I can read again! My vision’s only about 2 feet, so I have to rely on other people. Now, I can rely on myself.” She’s had limited vision her entire life, seeing the same things at 20 feet most people can see 300 feet away. Slowly focusing the metal grip of the 6×16 magnifier, she could make out signs and read posters across the room. What began as fuzzy orange blobs became letters, then words, then sentences. She was soon reaching for her wallet, ready to buy the device that gave her normal vision once again.

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High-tech devices help disabled get back livesRead More »

SanDisk announced two new USB 2.0 flash hard drives, the Cruzer Profile, and the 2 gigabyte Cruzer Titanium. The Cruzer Profile is a 512 megabyte or 1 GB flash drive with fingerprint security to protect your data, and the 2 GB Cruzer Titanium is a flash drive with a titanium body for strength. The Cruzer Profile is intended for people who wish to keep their data secure and control who can access it. The product is the size of pack of gum (60 mm long, 24 mm wide, and 14 mm in height) and comes in 512 MB or 1 GB capacities. SanDisk’s 2 GB Cruzer Titanium is a USB 2.0 flash drive that the company called “virtually indestructible.” The company said that the device is being manufactured from a titanium alloy that is 2.5 times stronger than normal titanium.

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SanDisk Announces 2GB Flash DrivesRead More »

By Rob Pegoraro

Most file-sharing programs aren’t the most upstanding citizens of the computing world. Yes, the entertainment industry hates them for the way they’re used to download movies and albums without paying — but many of these programs also fail to treat their own users well, often installing an unadvertised, unwanted load of advertising and spyware.

BitTorrent is different. This free, open-source program offers a spyware- and nuisance-free installation. And while it is certainly handy for downloading movies and other copyrighted material for free, it’s also increasingly used to distribute software and entertainment legally.

This makes BitTorrent (www.bittorrent.com) not only a fascinating test case for legal experts, but it also looks a lot like the logical fusion of peer-to-peer file-sharing and traditional downloading. It’s too robust to stamp out with lawsuits, but too effective not to adopt for commercial use.

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BitTorrent May Prove Too Good to KillRead More »

Excerpt from sci-tech-today.com.

IBM’s assistive mouse adapter filters out the shaking movements of the hand in a manner similar to the way camera lens stabilizing systems work. It also can filter out unintended multiple clicking caused by a shaking finger. For the millions of people who suffer from a form of tremor condition, such as Parkinson’s, using a computer mouse is anything but easy.

The assistive mouse adapter was invented by IBM researcher Jim Levine after he saw his uncle, a Parkinson’s sufferer, struggle with using a computer mouse. “I knew that there must be a way to improve the situation for him and other tremor sufferers around the world, including the elderly,” says Levine.

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Assistive Mouse AdapterRead More »

By Noemi Zarb

Click culture comes easy to kids… even to tots. Ask any gobsmacked adult watching toddlers juggle TV, DVDs and PCs. It is really no surprise that children are early adopters of new technologies because their ever curious brains make them infinitely more observant, absorbent and adaptable. We must also include the impact of love, care, stimulation and nutrition.

Confronted by a gadget, toddlers pick up tech-savvy skills simply by playing with them. While techno-phobic parents binge on anxiety because their children’s fun and games are so alien to their own upbringing, gizmo geek parents are likely to encourage their tots to go for click culture. They drool at how computer games teach simple but handy sums, and much more.

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Raising techno kidsRead More »